Taking the long way around

Amazing vegan restaurant in Mexico

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If you’ve been in the same room as me during the past few years, you will have probably heard me talking about how incredible the vegan food scene is in Mexico City. I never stop banging on about it.

As if I wasn’t impressed enough with the food scene in this mega city, Vegan INC had to go and take things to a whole new level tonight.

Situated in a posh shopping mall in the upmarket area of Polanco, Vegan INC is a casual vegan dining restaurant with two locations in the northern city of Monterrey. This Mexico City location has been open for a few months with a second outlet set to open later this year.

The food is absolutely exquisite. Take a look at some of the dishes we devoured.

My first time at this gorgeous #vegan restaurant in Mexico City called Vegan INC. @veganinc_cdmx

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Fabulous beetroot tartar with hummus and avocado at @veganinc_cdmx #mexicocity #cdmx #vegan

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Incredible BBQ bean burger with kale chips at @veganinc_cdmx in Mexico City. #vegan

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Burned broccoli platter at @veganinc_cdmx in Polanco, Mexico City. #vegan

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Delicious #vegan mac n cheese at @veganinc_cdmx in Mexico City. #cdmx

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Cheesy potatoes at @veganinc_cdmx in Polanco, Mexico City. Delicious! #vegan #cdmx

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Out table was overflowing with out of this world plant-based cuisine.

And in an FGV first, we were too full for cake so I have definite plans to head back to Vegan INC as soon as possible to try out the impressive dessert case.

Get to Mexico. Dine with Vegan INC. Follow them on Instagram.

Vegan high tea

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This was certainly the FINEST vegan high tea I have ever been served. Get along to Koffie ende Koeck in Amsterdam for a treat you won’t soon forget.

I stopped by this cute and comfortable coffee shop with my friend Bob. As I had arrived early, I ordered the high tea for two people but was surprised when Bob showed up with her new boyfriend.

No matter. The high tea was crammed with so much food, we needed the third guest to ensure we devoured everything served.

Check it out.

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I can’t say enough wonderful things about this place.

The high tea was superb, with sandwiches so delicious we all ordered multiple more for takeout. You might not be able to spot them too clearly in the photo but mini glasses of tiramisu came as one of the many cake and cookie options.

The tower also included bakewell tart, chocolate cake with pistachos and rose sponge.

Follow Koffie ende Koeck on Instagram and Facebook. Click here to see where they are located in Amsterdam on Google maps.

Extra note: you need to order ahead for the high tea. I seriously begged to have it with no notice. I’m a jerk. Don’t be like me.

A vegan hat trick in Amsterdam

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I’m on the vegan cruise, wrapped up warmly on the ship as we float through the mist-shrouded waters of Europe.

It’s beautiful.

But before the ship departed Amsterdam, I made time to visit these three fabulous vegan hot spots.

Visiting the gorgeous @vegabondfood in Amsterdam. Very special #vegan cafe and grocery store. xx

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It is wonderful to see a city so alive with vegan options and opportunities.

Of course there is plenty more for vegans to see and do in Amsterdam, so I will be having a quick scout around once my ship return to the city in a week. I’ve heard whispers of a place with a high tea!

Do you love vegan Amsterdam? What are favourite spots?

Food in a train station

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If you ever have to depart from, arrive to or transfer at Brussels train station, I have a tip for you in regards to vegan eating.

Greenway is a small chain of vegetarian restaurants in Belgium. The restaurant menu showcases a lot of vegan options and it just so happens there is a fast food counter style version of this eatery inside Brussels train station.

I took a snap of it yesterday.

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The queue for food was too long for me to actually purchase anything between trains, but I was certainly interested in the wide variety of vegan options including burgers, seitan wraps, soups, salads, and juices.

Greenway can also be found in Ghent, Leuven and Antwerp. Visit their website here. The company are also involved in the foodservice industry and running catering stands at festivals.

Have you eaten the vegan options at Greenway? How was the food?

Vegan in Belfast

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I don’t know a lot about Belfast.

I’ve never been to Northern Ireland and I certainly haven’t read anything about vegan food availability or plant-based businesses.

So it was with great delight that I found out about That Vegan Café, an eatery serving up delicious looking food just south of the city centre. See the location on Google Maps.

Take a quick look at this recent Facebook post.

You should keep track of what is happening food and event wise via the café Facebook page.

What else do I need to know about when it comes to veganism in Belfast and Northern Ireland?

In the meantime…. yay for Belfast!

nye-2017

The vegan cruise is over

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I am tired but happy.

Right this very moment I am sitting on my bed in west London after calling a cruise ship home for the past week. It has been a wonderful trip with lots of unique experiences.

I’m about to post all my favourite photos from the trip with Vegan Travel, but I also need to remind you of the next wonderful adventure coming up.

Click here to read about the New Year’s Eve cruise heading out of Amsterdam on December 29, 2016. It is going to be a trip to remember!

Now my photos from the south of France!

Fab salad plate on the #vegancruise today. Incredible maple mustard dressing. #vegan #vegantravel

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If I see ONE MORE enchanting castle in the stunning French countryside… #vegan #vegancruise #vegantravel

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Just devoured this sloppy cannelloni for lunch on the France #vegancruise #vegan #vegantravel

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So pretty! Lunchtime dessert on the #vegancruise today is pineapple rice pudding with cream! #vegan #vegantravel

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Ratatouille with rosemary potatoes for dinner on the #vegancruise tonight. #vegan #vegantravel

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Enjoying a rain day on the river with a bottle of @fritzkola #vegancruise #vegantravel #vegan

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Dang! Afternoon #vegan cake on the @vegantravel cruise. #vegancruise

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Josh is getting VERY comfortable with living on a cruise ship. Pot of tea and a 500 piece jigsaw!

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Hanging out in my cabin, watching France roll past. Dreamy times on the south of France #vegancruise with @vegantravel

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Get booking for the next cruise. You’ll love it!

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Rustic dining room in France

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This is a fab idea.

The Hidden Veggie Kitchen is a gorgeous dining room tucked away in the French region of Haute-Vienne (4 hours from Paris). Louise is a self-taught chef who wanted to bring meat free cuisine to rural France. In a message this week, she told me how incredibly difficult it is finding vegetarian or vegan dining opportunities outside the larger cities which pushed her to open her own home to hungry diners.

Louise has set up a rustic (and super gorgeous) dining room in her, well…. in her own dining room! It is a relaxed restaurant set up where people are served three courses for the ridiculously low price of €16 and they can even bring their own wine with no corkage fee.

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You can read a lot more about the permanent pop-up restaurant on the website and be sure to like their Facebook page.

Of course I would love to see this (or any) veggie restaurant serving vegan food only but if you take a look at the The Hidden Veggie Kitchen menu, you will no doubt be keen to try delights such as the decadent praline covered chocolate truffle and the spicy lentil bolognese with quinoa spaghetti.

Get to the French countryside and eat well!

nye-2017

New Year’s Eve with FGV

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You all know I love being involved in special vegan get-togethers and gatherings.

Whether I’m presiding over a beer festival or watching diners be treated to a special meal, one of my favourite things to do in life is to create opportunities for people to enjoy being vegan.

This love affair with being social is being taken to a whole new level at the end of the year as I jump on board the New Year’s Eve cruise hosted by Vegan River Cruises that just happens to be setting sail from Amsterdam.

I’m so excited!

Following on from last year’s NYE adventure down the Danube, I know exactly what to expect from the 2016/2107 journey. But maybe you don’t, so let me fill you in.

This year’s NYE vegan cruise runs between December 29, 2016 and January 4, 2017 with the starting and final port of call being the gorgeous city of Amsterdam.

After spending the first night docked in Amsterdam, the cruise sets off for a magical journey along waterways as the boat visits Rotterdam, Brussels, Antwerp and Maastricht before gliding back to Amsterdam.

We are going to be wowed by the scenery as we pass medieval towns and windmill-studded fields.

The ship itself is enough to make you want to book this holiday. Check out some photos below before I jump into telling you what you get on board:

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Well, there isn’t too much more I need to say about the ship that the photos haven’t already conveyed.

These ships are the equivalent of a 5-star hotel on water. The suites are luxurious with ultra-comfortable beds and well-appointed bathrooms.

All of your meals are included on the NYE cruise, so you don’t need to spend any money while on board. Yep. That’s right. Breakfast, lunch and dinner every single day is served to you at no extra charge and of course every single thing on the ship is 100% vegan.

In addition to your three meals a day, the cruise includes afternoon tea with cakes and a late night snack. All wine, beer and cocktails are included in the price you pay for the cabin. You will not be asked to pay for any food or drink while on board. Of course, all of the wines and beers are 100% vegan.

There is free WiFi in all suites and on board entertainment including a karaoke night hosted by me and my partner Josh!

You can explore the cities and towns where we dock either on your own or by paying to join some of the organised shore excursions. You can even make use of the electric bicycles on board the ship to adventure throughout the surrounding countryside. If you choose to stay on board for most of the trip, you can make use of the pool (!) and gym.

I’m incredibly excited to be part of this luxury cruise and proud to be involved with a business that goes to great effort to give passengers a completely vegan experience. Heck, even the toiletries in your suite are vegan!

Will I see you on board over New Year’s Eve?

Click here to see full details including pricing and to begin booking your vegan holiday.

La Stella Nera Berlin

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joe panel

I’m way behind on my list of new vegan places in Berlin, so I’ll start with the new collectively-run Italian restaurant, La Stella Nera.

That it’s collectively run is positive as it means that the people working there share in the ownership, the work and the income, too. After a scandal in Berlin involving accusations of shoddy worker treatment at another vegan place, it’s heartening to see somewhere like this.

But what of the food, I’m sure you’re asking! Well, perhaps the clearest indication of the quality is the fact that we couldn’t get in the first two times we went – it was just that busy. Now I’ve learned to phone ahead and reserve, especially on a weekend.

And there’s a reason it’s quickly become such a popular restaurant: the food is high quality. It’s all freshly made and it shows. The pizzas are cooked in a traditional wood-fired pizza oven (sit opposite the till and you can see inside as the pizzas are cooked) and there are also superb pasta dishes – again, the pasta is made on the premises.

pizza-with-potato%2c-mushroom-and-tofu%2c-at-la-stella-nera-in-berlin pizza-with-vegan-cheese-and-aubergine-at-la-stella-nera%2c-berlin

There are two types of pizza offered – ‘blanco’ and ‘rosso’, Italian for white and red. I’m not a huge fan of the blanco pizzas, which come without tomato sauce. The toppings are still nice, but I need that tomato on there! Most of the pizzas have no cheese either, but there are a few on the menu which have cheese if you need it.

The pizza bases are light and fluffy, and baked to perfection. Drizzle with some oil and they’re excellent on their own. There are no wacky toppings or stuffed crust. The menu features traditional pizza with good-quality ingredients.

pasta-with-mushrooms-at-la-stella-nera-berlin

The pasta pictured here was truly excellent, by the way – I can’t remember the name of it (my Italian isn’t as good as my German), it was basically pasta with some posh mushrooms, yet despite the simplicity of the dish, it was sublime. We’re planning on going back to have another one.

And if you still have room after all that, there’s a range of desserts including tiramisu and affogato. I’m not normally a fan of coffee in desserts, but both of these rocked my fairtrade, sweatshop-free socks off.

creamy-coffee-desserts%2c-including-tiramisu%2c-at-la-stella-nera-in-berlin

Despite the high-quality of the food, the place is down-to-earth and easy going – it’s not somewhere you have to dress up for!

So if you’re coming to Berlin, that’s yet another place on your must-visit list. Just remember to phone ahead on a weekend.

Visit La Stella Nera online.

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Vegan in Vegas

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Regular FGV reader Ari wanted to share her experiences of vegan food in Las Vegas.

Check it out!

On a trip to Fremont Street in downtown, we visited The Container Park (think UK’s box parks) to catch lunch at Simply Pure, a vegan semi-raw food joint. A menu by Stacey Dougan consists of tacos, wraps and grilled cheese. My hubbie and I went for the crowd favourite, Ultimate Sampler, because variety wins in my books and this eliminated my affliction of food envy. 

The Ultimate Sampler consisted of Zucchini Pasta Trio, Nacho Grande, Jicama Chili Cheese Fries and Asian ‘Chicken’ Lettuce-Wrapped Tacos. The Nachos Grande with ‘beef’ and ‘cheese’ (cashew sauce) was the stand out on the plate although all the sauces were good. I’m pretty sure I let out an mmmhhh after the first nacho. Courgetti is never one to get my eco-engine going but this was the best courgetti/zucchini pasta I’ve tasted. Usually my hopes of good courgetti are dashed with slime and blandness. None of that here!

Upon leaving the container park, something caught my eye… The sign outside gourmet hot dog, Cheffini’s, read ‘VEGAN’. Hello! It would have been rude to ignore.

See the 'vegan' on the chalkboard!
See the ‘vegan’ on the chalkboard? You might have to squint.

Of the many options of which they can make vegan, we had to choose something a bit simpler as the intention was to leave with a regular vegan dog to-go for an afternoon nosh. No funny business. However, ‘vegan Salchipapa’ (deep fried vegan hot dog bits served over french fries!) caught my eye at the final hurdle.

Vegan Salchipapa from Cheffinis
Vegan Salchipapa from Cheffinis

I choose the pineapple sauce (instead of the included signature sauce which has mayo). Excellent sauce choice for the dog and fries. If only there was more time to try their different creations and sauces… a good problem to have.

Other vegan haunts to visit if you’re in Las Vegas are:

Ronald’s Donuts – retro, basic shop a couple of miles from the strip with two vegan options – glazed and soy cream – on my visit (menu changes daily). Amazingly light, fresh and very tasty. 

Settebello – Italian chain restaurant with decent vegan options.

Buffet at the Wynn – delicious vegan options clearly marked and staff can identity dishes for you. The spring rolls will make you wonder if you can sneak any in your purse. Incidentally, since Steve Wynn went vegan he has ensured that all food outlets in the Wynn hotel/casino have good vegan options!

Thanks, Ari. Sounds like you had some fantastic eating experiences in Vegas.

Of course Ari only just scratched the surface of vegan food options in Las Vegas. If you are heading their for a visit, make sure you take a look at Happycow to find out everything plant-based on offer.

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